The Socceroos captain, Lucas Neill, has said passion for the national team is "lacking" among the younger generation of players.

"Nobody gives you an opportunity to play for Australia for nothing," he said ahead of the Socceroos' friendly with Canada. "The biggest problem in Australia right now is not the older guys who have been there doing it for a long time.

"My question to the younger guys who want to play for Australia is: do you dream of playing for Australia and if you do show me the hunger and the desire. I think that's where we are lacking now – our attitude towards our national team."

"I am committed to being captain of this country for as long as the people in charge give me that status," said Neill. [Bosnich] is entitled to his [opinion], but I expect better from people who've played the game and certainly from people that call themselves my friend."

"It's another huge game for us against one of the biggest teams in the world, one of the most famous teams in the world," Neill said. "Like playing Brazil in Brazil, like playing France in France, these are all very tempting matches and I'm sure that the people who arrange those games will definitely take serious consideration of the possibility."

Those friendlies against Brazil and France ended up costing Holger Osieck his job, something that Neill acknowledged. "When you get offered to play teams like that it's very hard to say no," he said. "Holger's idea was to play the very best in the world to see where we are at. We've certainly discovered that."